The real reason the British colonized Nigeria was to exploit its God-given resources and use those resources to build their own country. Nigeria gained independence and initially began on a promising path to build a strong nation through agriculture. However, with the sudden discovery of oil and a brief economic boom, the country embarked on reckless spending.
By Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, FNIA
Instead of treating its oil wealth as a tool for sustainable development, Nigeria invested in grandiose, poorly conceived projects. Corruption soon became entrenched and would later serve as a source of systemic collapse.
To redeem Nigeria’s image, prestige, and dignity, there must be a change of mindset and a national reorientation. This requires engaging the youth—who are the true seed of our future—and instilling in them values of selflessness and patriotism as the foundation for building a sustainable nation.
The spirit of being our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper must be integrated into Nigeria’s national ethos, much like China, Brazil, and Singapore, which have successfully transformed into first-world nations through complete national rebirth.
Today, more than ever before, Nigerian youth must take their destiny into their own hands, channeling their energy into a national project that will unlock the country’s latent economic potential by leveraging innovation, technology, IT, and AI.
A government-backed support system that empowers the youth to pursue entrepreneurship and inclusive businesses will change the dynamics of economic growth. This is necessary to sustain a population projected to double within 25 years.
We are already struggling to feed more than 200 million people. What will happen when the population reaches 400 million?
Beyond food insecurity, Nigeria faces a myriad of challenges—chief among them corruption and ineptitude—which have become a cancer in every aspect of governance. The most effective solution is adopting zero tolerance for corruption, whether in roadside trading or at the LGA, state, and national levels.
The insecurity ravaging Nigeria’s food-producing regions can be reduced through non-kinetic approaches by involving the youth, since most of the non-state actors responsible are unemployed young people, many of whom abuse drugs and are used as tools of destruction.
At the root of these problems are poverty and unemployment among the youth, who are often exploited by politicians for dishonorable ends.
If Nigeria encourages its youth to embrace AgriTech and agribusiness, the entire food system can be transformed, leading to rapid progress in food security and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To achieve this, parents and leaders must provide selfless leadership by purging the system of corruption and dealing decisively with offenders, just as is done in China, Japan, and Singapore.
While this may seem Herculean, if given deliberate and sufficient impetus, it will become the only path to national survival.
I call on all Nigerians to wake up to the reality that our nation is an equitable entity worth making sustainable for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, FNIA
